MEDICAID PRIMARY CARE WORKFORCE |
Why This MattersAccess to healthcare depends on an available health workforce for all individuals. However, access has been particularly challenging for groups made vulnerable, including individuals insured through public programs.
The Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) provide health and long-term care to more than 90 million individuals, including nearly 42 million children (Feb. 2023). Individuals with Medicaid are more likely to report access barriers and studies consistently show healthcare providers are less likely to accept patients with Medicaid than those with private insurance or Medicare. Medicaid provider participation has also been shown to vary widely across states. A complex and evolving array of provider, practice, community, market, and policy factors drive Medicaid provider participation. The advent of the national Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) dataset offers an opportunity to locate the Medicaid primary care workforce, track it over time, and understand the impact of changing healthcare landscape and policies on participation, access, and outcomes. The GW Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity (GWMI) is committed to conducting research and policy analysis to promote greater equity in healthcare and society. For all healthcare services, the provider workforce represents a critical piece of the puzzle in determining equitable access to essential health services. The Medicaid Primary Care Workforce Tracker focuses on the primary care workforce providing service to Medicaid populations in the United States. DISCLAIMER: This project was supported by the Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW), National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $450,000, with zero percent financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author[s] and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. |